On the Trail / A COSTUMED PARTY

Supporters, foes dress the part

Sarah Palins of all ages came out of the woodwork at John McCain's Halloween evening rally in Columbus, Ohio. Most wore red suits, and many toted baby Trig dolls.

California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger acknowledged the candy holiday as he introduced the Republican presidential hopeful. (Schwarzenegger and Columbus go way back. Each year, he hosts a huge bodybuilding exhibition here.)

The governator mentioned that he'd just spoken with his wife, Maria Shriver, about trick-or-treaters.

"What are you gonna give the kids that knock on the door?" he said he asked his spouse, who supports Democrat Barack Obama. "She says, 'I'm gonna give each of them a candy, a cookie and some M&Ms and an apple.' I said: 'Typical liberal giveaway.' "

Outside the Nationwide Arena, at least eight costumed couples greeted people streaming out of McCain's rally. Each couple wore one McCain mask and one George W. Bush mask, and they held signs proclaiming, "Nightmare on Main Street: More of the same."

Some McCain supporters walking to their cars were startled to see a video projected onto a large beige wall across the street from the arena. It featured the famous Bush-McCain hug from 2004 and ominously proclaimed, "In a state devastated by George Bush, one man stands alone . . . The jobs terminator."

They hadn't meant to joke about Schwarzenegger, said Ohio Democratic Party Internet director Todd Hoffman. It just worked out that way.